The Nations League returns on Thursday night with some mouth-watering fixtures lined up for us. England travel to Greece, Ireland welcome Finland to Dublin, Belgium host Italy and Slovenia face Erling Haaland’s Norwary.
Our football tipster, Shane O’Brien is on hand and gone in search of value and has four picks for us that make up a very tasty-looking acca.
Let’s get into it.
Thursday’s Nations League tips
*All games kickoff at 7:45pm
Ireland v Finland – Draw
Greece v England – England to win
Belgium v Italy – Italy to win
Slovenia v Norway – Norway to win
- An acca with these bets pays at approximately 38/1 with Paddy Power. CLICK HERE TO ADD IT TO YOUR BETSLIP.
Ireland v Finland – Draw
Nations League match at the Aviva Stadium, Dublin
TV: RTE 2, 7:45pm
Ireland and Finland face off at the Aviva Stadium on Thursday in a bid to avoid automatic relegation to League C.
Ireland can technically still leapfrog England into second place, but it requires such an improbable set of results that it can be safely assumed that Ireland and Finland will occupy the bottom two places in Group B2, with both sides fighting to secure third place and a relegation play-off instead of last place and automatic relegation.
The reverse fixture in October was a closely-fought encounter and though Ireland emerged victorious, it is not like they were lightyears ahead of their Finnish opponents.
Finland had the better of the game in the first half before Ireland rallied in the second period and stole a win at the death through Robbie Brady, marking the first time in over two years that Ireland won in a competitive fixture against a team other than Gibraltar.
They have not won a home competitive fixture against a non-Gibraltar opponent since September 2022 and may have to wait even longer to break that duck against a competitive Finnish outfit that will be fighting for their lives to stay in the second tier in the Nations League.
A draw would go a long way towards ensuring Ireland take third in the group, leaving them three points clear of Finland, and they may have to settle for a point on Thursday night.
Greece v England – England to win
Nations League match at the Olympiako Stadio, Athens
TV: ITV, Virgin Media, 7:45pm
England’s trip to Greece is almost the exact inverse of Finland’s trip to Ireland.
Both sides are vying for top spot in Group B2 and are currently separated by three points, with Greece leading the table with a flawless record after four games courtesy of a deserved win in Wembley last month.
England were well below par in that 2-1 reversal, with Lee Carsley experimenting with an attacking side at Wembley.
Carsley will be looking to bow out on a high with Thomas Tuchel set to take over in the New Year and can do so by winning each of England’s final two Nations League games and securing automatic promotion back to League A.
Failure to win both games will likely leave England in second place and facing a promotion play-off against one of the third-placed teams in the top tier.
They are more than capable of beating Greece but face an incredibly difficult task against an opponent that has not yet missed a beat in this Nations League campaign. However, England should have just about enough to take the battle for top spot to the final day.
Belgium v Italy – Italy to win
Nations League match at the Stade Roi Baudouin, Brussels
7:45pm
Both Belgium and Italy had extremely forgettable Euro 2024 campaigns, but Italy have at least improved in this current Nations League campaign. The same cannot be said for Belgium, who sit on four points after four points and seem destined for a relegation play-off.
They did manage a 2-2 draw in the reverse fixture in Italy, becoming the only team to take points off the Italians so far. However, they did come back from two goals down after Italy were reduced to ten men in the first half, and it is difficult to believe that they would have managed such a comeback if Italy had a full complement of players on the pitch.
Italy, meanwhile, have won each of their two away games to date, posting a comprehensive victory over France in September and a relatively comfortable 2-1 win over Israel last month. They can make it three wins from three on the road against Belgium on Thursday.
Slovenia v Norway – Norway to win
Nations League match at the Stadion Stožice, Ljubljana
7:45pm
Slovenia and Norway must be sick of the sight of each other, with the two nations facing off for the third time in four Nations League campaigns.
Slovenia, Norway and Austria find themselves on seven points each after four games, with Kazakhstan almost certainly heading for an immediate relegation back to League C on one point.
The hosts, however, have had the advantage of playing Kazakhstan twice and have only taken one point against their two group rivals in two games. They were comprehensively beaten 3-0 in the reverse fixture in Norway and must avoid defeat to stay in the hunt for one of the two promotion places.
Norway, on the other hand, have failed to win either of their two away games to date, inexplicably drawing at Kazakhstan before collapsing in a second-half rout against Austria as a 1-1 draw at half time turned into a 5-1 defeat by full time.
The away side have failed to win in Slovenia in each of their previous two Nations League campaigns but showed more than enough in the home fixture to suggest they are capable of doing so this time around, with an away victory setting Norway on their way to the top tier of the Nations League.
Thursday’s football tips
*All games kickoff at 7:45pm
Ireland v Finland – Draw
Greece v England – England to win
Belgium v Italy – Italy to win
Slovenia v Norway – Norway to win
- An acca with these bets pays at approximately 38/1 with Paddy Power. CLICK HERE TO ADD IT TO YOUR BETSLIP.
*All prices are bang up to date with our snazzy widgets, while odds in copy are accurate at time of publishing but subject to change.
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